Majority Of Victims Of Mount Ruang Eruption Refuge To Relatives, North Sulawesi Governor Reveals The Amount Reaches 700 People

NORTH SULAWESI - The majority of victims of the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro Islands Regency, North Sulawesi (Sulut) reportedly fled to the homes of their closest relatives or relatives outside the island.

This was conveyed by the Governor of North Sulawesi Olly Dondokambey at the Coordination Meeting for Disaster Management of Mount Ruang Eruption with the leadership of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Thursday, May 2.

Olly explained that his party noted that from a number of evacuation posts that were prepared, only 25 residents of Ruang Island were inhabited. Meanwhile, the total number of displaced residents was 600-700 residents.

"The majority of them fled to relatives or family's homes in Manado, Bitung, North Minahasa," he said, during a meeting monitored online, which was confiscated by Antara.

According to him, security and comfort are one of the reasons the residents chose to evacuate to their relatives' homes.

Moreover, they also had to evacuate for a long time compared to the victims from other areas, because they were not allowed to return to live on the Island of Ruang.

"It has become a joint decision for the Island of Ruang that the residents must be completely vacated. Currently, a place is being prepared," he added.

Nevertheless, he ensured, during this disaster emergency period all basic needs, starting from food, clothing and health, the victims will be fulfilled by the central and regional governments.

Previously, BNPB reported that Mount Ruang experienced an eruption on April 17 and April 30, 2024.

In the eruption of the phase to the two Mount Ruang, it occurred bigger until it released an eruption column as high as 2,000 meters from above the peak accompanied by continuous roar and tremors.

BNPB recommends immediately evacuating residents on the Island of Ruang and also those within a radius of seven kilometers from the center of the active crater of Mount Ruang (Tagulandang and its surroundings) which absolutely cannot have any activity.

The evacuation was carried out so that residents were protected from the impact of eruption material in the form of incandescent rocks, hot clouds, and other Mount Ruang volcanic activity.

BNPB noted that a total of 12 thousand residents affected by the eruption of Mount Ruang had to be evacuated. Of that number, more than 3 thousand residents have been evacuated off the island until Wednesday, May 1.